It's 1897, and the bicycle is king. In a small American town, two teenage boys jump on their wheels and ride headlong into adventure, danger, and the messy business of growing up. Joe Johnson is quick-thinking and well-liked, but he's about to have his character tested in ways no young man should face. An evening ride to Greenpoint takes a dark turn when the bridge gives way, forcing a perilous escape. Joe's quick thinking thwarts a farm robbery in the chaos. He should be a hero. Instead, he finds himself falsely accused of theft, his reputation clouded by suspicion. Through bicycle races, baseball games, and relentless bullying from town tough Lemuel Akers, Joe must fight to clear his name and prove what kind of man he really is. Edward Stratemeyer, the master who would later create the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, penned this spirited coming-of-age tale with all the energy and moral clarity of late 19th-century American youth culture. The wheel keeps turning, and so does the adventure.
